Tag Archives: orthoptera

2019

Day 7 in Belize: Last day at Las Cuevas

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Today was our last day at Las Cuevas Research Station and we had a full day. We collected all the camera traps that we set up the first day. Later in the evening, we looked through the camera trap photos and the most exciting photo was of a Tapir!

We also excavated a young and old leafcutter ant nest and saw the chamber where they keep their fungi garden in the older nest. The ants bring the leaves to the fungi for it to digest to a form that the ants can eat. It was a little scary when the army ants came out of the nest and started surrounding our boots because they can cut through pants and draw blood.

It was a great day for spotting Orthoptera. I saw at least two katydids. Both mimicked brown leaves to avoid predation. I think one of them was the Dead leaf katydid (Orophus tesselatus) because it has a very similar shape and pattern of the wings to the picture on my ID card.

Leaf mimic katydid

 

Dead leaf katydid (Orophus tesselatus)

The last Orthoptera I saw was dead and had its antennae and legs eaten off which makes it harder to identify. The hind wings were like a bright red fan which made me think it was the Giant Red Winged Grasshopper (Tropidacris cristata) and not a katydid. It was also very large and had bumps on the pronotum which are characteristics of this grasshopper.

Dead Giant Red Winged Grasshopper

 

Hind wings of dead grasshopper
2019

Day 6: Ants and Cecropia trees

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Today was the busiest day at Las Cuevas so far. In the morning, we compared the plant diversity of a region disturbed by a hurricane a few years ago to an undisturbed area.

In the afternoon, we collected data to see if young Cecropia trees that are not yet colonized by ants have tougher leaves than those that are colonized by ants to avoid herbivory. Cecropia and Azteca ants form a symbiotic relationship where the plant gives the ants a home and carbohydrate source, and the ants protects the Cecropia.

Giant Red Winged grasshopper nymphs.

The most interesting Orthoptera I saw was a large group of grasshopper nymphs in the morning. They looked like they were piled on top of each over and formed a ball when I first saw them. I think they were Giant red winged grasshopper nymphs (Tropidacris cristata) because of the yellow aposematic markings on one of them. I also saw a lot of crickets at night, one of which looked like the White-kneed king cricket (Penalva flavocalceata).

White-kneed king cricket
2019

Day 5: Collecting pitfall traps and more grasshoppers!

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Today we collected our vials from the pitfall traps that we set up yesterday. On our hike, we saw a Toucan and most excitingly, a Morelet’s Tree Frog! Once we grouped all the arthropods into different morphospecies and analyzed our data, we made a poster and presented it to Scott and Amanda.

Morelet’s tree frog

I saw a few more grasshopper nymphs which often form small groups which is why I see several on one leaf most of the time.

A grasshopper nymph. There is only one here, but there are often multiple grouped on one leaf.
A large grasshopper in the Acrididae family and maybe in the Schistocerca genus.

In the afternoon, I saw a grasshopper in the Acrididae family that at first reminded me of the Giant Red-Wing Grasshopper (Tropidacris cristata) because of its large size, and yellowish red hindwings. After looking more closely, I don’t think it is one because the shape of the pronotum, the plate like structure below the head, and the eye look different than the Giant Red-Wing Grasshoppers I have researched. Instead, I think it is in Schistocerca genus.

2019

Day 4: Pitfall Traps

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I didn’t wake up early enough for bird watching, so I slept in and had breakfast at 7 am. Then we all peed in vials to use for our research project. Because pee is a source of ammonium, it can be used in an experiment to determine if the rainforest floor or canopy is more nitrogen deficient. My pee is currently on a tree and underground under the tree, and hopefully it brings good results.

In the afternoon, we went to a cave opening which was huge. The cave was thought to be a Mayan Pilgrimage site where they perform ceremonies. I got to give my Orthoptera presentation inside the cave and we also saw one cave cricket which are in the Rhaphidophoridae family!

Cave cricket. I could not get a very good photo of it.
Katydid found on a night hike

Overall, I saw a lot of Orthoptera today including the first katydid I’ve seen. This katydid was green with white spots on the body and had red eyes. Even the antennae have white dots along them.

I saw a lot of little gray grasshopper nymphs on a leaf again today and several crickets from the Gryllidae family.

 

2019

Day 3: Setting up Camera Traps

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Today we set up our camera traps, cameras that are activated by movement, on two different trails. We were planning on using three trails, but because 4 of the camera traps were not working we had to change our plan. It was the first time we got to hike in the Chiquibul rain forest, so there was a lot of new things to see.

Grasshopper nymphs
Horse Lubber grasshopper nymph

While walking along the Monkey Tail Trail and 50-hectare trail, I saw many Orthoptera including crickets and grasshoppers. The most exciting sighting was a Horse Lubber Grasshopper nymph (Taeniopoda eques) which was found in the leaf litter. These grasshoppers have a shiny black body with bright yellow markings. There were also a lot of small grasshopper nymphs on the tops of leaves.

Grasshopper that might be in the Tetrigidae family.

In the afternoon, I saw a grasshopper that might be in the Tetrigidae family because of its pronotum that covers its entire abdomen. It was black with white and yellow speckles on the hind wings.

2019

Day 2: Caracol and Rio on Pools

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We left the Crystal Paradise Eco lodge this morning. Our first stop was Rio on Pools where I swam, slipped on rocks, and sat under a small waterfall. I think everyone nearly slipped and wiped out on the rocks a few times which is always fun.

Rio on Pools

Then we went to the Caracol Archaeological Preserve where we climbed on Mayan structures and learned about their culture. It was interesting to hear about how they built structures on top of other structures when the existing one became to sacred to live in. We also saw which are birds that have weaved nests that hang from trees.

This Maya structure was an administrative building, temple, and palace.

After the ruins, we finally made it to Las Cuevas Research Station where we will be staying for the next five days. After the rained stopped, we could see birds all around us in the canopy.

Cricket in the Gryllidae family

I personally did not see any Orthoptera today, but someone else saw one on the bathroom door and showed me a picture. I believe it is a cricket in the Gryllidae family based on its long antennae and long cerci. Cerci are paired appendages on the abdomen.

2019, Uncategorized

Day 1: Arriving in Belize

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We arrived in Belize today by a direct flight from Houston to Belize City. It was an early morning to get to the airport in time for our flight, so I had a tiring and exciting day. Travel days are always weird because I start at home in a familiar place and hours later I am in a completely new environment. I have already seen many different plants and animals while eating lunch, riding in the van, and spending the evening at the Crystal Paradise Ecolodge.

The view from the dining area in the Crystal Paradise Ecolodge.

I did not see any Orthoptera today because most of the day was spent traveling and settling into the ecolodge. I did hear chirping and long trilling sounds in the evening which I think were crickets. Crickets and katydids can be heard at night, but I wasn’t able to identify a katydid call.

 

I saw an ant outside my room that Brendan is currently trying to identify.

There is a trail from the ecolodge to a river where I saw Leafcutter ants carrying purple flowers, and an Agouti, a large rodent. I might have been able to find some Orthoptera if I spent more time looking on the trail, but I was walking quickly to get to the river.

2019, Uncategorized

Pre-departure Blog

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Tomorrow morning I leave for Belize, where I will spend a week at Las Cuevas Research Station to explore the tropical rainforest and a week at Glover’s Reef Research Station to explore the coral reef. Even though I started getting everything I need around a month ago I still had to run to the store for the last item today. Now I finally feel like everything is reading to go for my time in Belize.

I have spent many hours researching different aspects of Belize to prepare for my trip including Orthoptera, Zoanthids, Corallimorphs, Anemones, and the geological and biogeographic history. I will hopefully be able to share this knowledge with others and use it as a base to learn more while I am there. It would be extremely exciting to have learned about something sitting at my desk at Rice and then be able to see it in real life. I am worried that I have missed some important Orthoptera species during my research and will not be able to identify the common species that I find in Belize, but even identifying one species will be exciting. 

My previous experiences in the tropics were family vacations to Panama and Costa Rica. These trips were not dedicated to researching and learning about my surroundings like I expect this trip will be. I am particularly excited and nervous for the week at Glover’s Reef Research Station. I am excited because it will be a completely new experience. I have snorkeled when I was younger, but never paid close attention to what I was seeing. I am nervous because I have never snorkeled much below the surface and sometimes have trouble equalizing the pressure in my ears. I am sure I will have plenty of practice throughout the week, so hopefully I’ll feel comfortable by the end.

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Day 8: civilizations r not us

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We went to the supermarket, which was weird. The ability to buy things I needed was a foreign concept after five days in the jungle. The promise of a dry towel, the consumption of packaged snacks—all forgotten from a life past.

Leaving Las Cuevas was a bittersweet experience: on one hand jungles are the best places on earth, on the other I would like to be dry and not surrounded by insects for at least some time. I think I will definitely miss Las Cuevas in the future, but for now the change of scenery is welcome.

After the supermarket stop, we headed to ATM cave and did some more spelunking. I am learning quickly that I absolutely love caves. There were human remains and stalactites and calcified rock, and we spent three hours entirely entertained by the formations of the earth and the artifacts of a fallen civilization. There was also one singular cave cricket, Raphidophoroidea, which was a good find for the Orthoptera crowd. I couldn’t take a picture of it because we weren’t allowed cameras inside the cave.

Afterward, we arrived again in Belize City at around 6, where we are staying at the Tropical Education Center, near the Belize Zoo. After some time to get settled, we headed out to the zoo. It was amazing, and very distinctively un-American. The first thing we did was put a boa constrictor around our necks.

Me as the boa was placed around me. PC: Sam

We were allowed to feed exotic animals and touch them. It was a great experience, especially since I kept imagining how absolutely horrifying it would’ve been to have encountered them alone in the jungle, when no set of electric wires could’ve kept them from us. Civilization is a very different world, indeed.

A puma we saw at the zoo. PC: Jessica
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Day 7: luck of the draw

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Today we did a total of four things, each one more exciting than the last.

In the early morning, we hiked up a very steep hill to the bird tower, a two-story wooden structure that looks out across a huge expanse of raw rainforest. The hike was difficult, but the view absolutely worth it, especially since it was morning and blue mist settled over an endless horizon of canopy. We stayed for a while, then hiked back, stopping at a small cave along the way.

The view from the bird tower. PC: Sam

In the late morning, we set out to collect our camera traps. Though  the hike was long and strenuous, I found three hatched light-blue eggs under a tree slightly off-trail, which was new. Orhoptera wise, I didn’t  see as much as I usually do, but I did see one very large and bright green grasshoppers at the base of the bird tower. Though I didn’t see its wings, I assumed it to be a red-winged grasshopper from the size.

In the afternoon, we went out to excavate leaf-cutter ant hills, led by Scott. The Mississippi group of college-age kids staying with us at Las Cuevas came with us, too. We all watched Scott as pulled out a queen from the heart of a one-year-old leaf cutter ant nest. It was a large and disturbing version of ant that I wasn’t used to, but the whole excavation process was really interesting. We also excavated a much larger (25 feet or so) ant nest, hit a dump tank, and instead got to touch warm, decomposing fungus. During this hike, I did in fact see an actual red-winged grasshopper very up close, since the guy I was walking with saw it and picked it up. It was huge–likely 10 cm across, and flew away almost as soon as it was picked up so I couldn’t get a picture.

In the evening, we finally checked our camera trap cards. Already on the first camera we found a Baird’s tapir, and then, amazingly, a jaguar. All of us collectively screamed at the sight of the rosette patterning. The unbelievable part came later, however, when we caught yet another jaguar on a separate camera trap. Both were absolutely stunning, and I think I screamed louder on the second than the first. We also found three pumas, an armadillo, a coral snake, curassows, and a variety of other animals we hadn’t seen yet. But the jaguars were really the crown jewel of the whole piece.

Jaguar 1
Jaguar 2